All about Mental Health Awareness Month, with a word from Riverbend
Did you know that 1 in 5 Americans live with mental illness? Mental illness is directly connected to so many of the important conversations we are having in our society: substance abuse, workplace productivity, education, elder care, childhood development, veteran issues, and more. For years, mental illness and treatment were kept in the shadows but that’s not the case today. The conversation has shifted. Today we value emphasis on...
Bulletin Board
Gibson’s celebrates poetry month It’s National Poetry Month and Hobblebush Books is teaming up with Gibson’s Bookstore to present Conversations with Granite State Poets, an offshoot of their Granite State Poetry Series. They will be held Mondays at 7 p.m. via Zoom with registration through Eventbrite. The first was held earlier this week with MaudelleDriskell and Meg Kearney. The next will be April 12 with Martha...
The City of Concord is tackling mental health awareness in the workplace
City of Concord employees are taking part in a series of quarterly presentations and workshops focusing on mental health in work environments. “Mental health awareness is important for any employer, no matter the size of the company,” said Sarah Gagnon, Vice President of Clinical Operations at Riverbend Community Mental Health. Gagnon is leading the course titled “Mental Health 101.” “We’re doing some anti-stigma activities and...
Readers share their sugarhouse adventures
During Maple Month, the Monitor and Insider asked readers to submit photos of their visits to sugarhouses. Here are some of their shots.
Expression through the arts is a major theme of Mental Health Awareness Month
Healing and expression through the arts will be a common theme throughout Mental Health Awareness Month. From May 1 through 31, a unique display of works will be on exhibition at the Kimball Jenkins Estate on North Main Street. Artists living with a serious mental illness and those who support them were selected to share their pieces about what you should know about mental health and substance use disorders. Each Tuesday in May, the...
Book: The Bard’s Blade
The Bard’s Blade By Brian Anderson (430 pages, fantasy, 2020) Vylari has been sealed off from the rest of the world, allowing its people to live in peace for generations. Tales of the time before are more myth than history at this point. But a stranger is found just within the borders, comatose but bearing a note foretelling a rising darkness, drawn to one within the wards of Vylari. Lem, a gifted bard, is confronted with a secret...
The Me2/ Orchestra is bringing its message to Concord
The world’s only classical music organization created for individuals with mental illnesses and the people who support them is coming to Concord on May 19. Me2/ (me, too) rehearses weekly and performs before crowds at traditional concert venues, museums, recovery facilities, and correctional centers. According to their website, Me2/ serves as a model organization where people with and without mental illnesses work together in an...
Book: Actually, the Comma Goes Here: A Practical Guide to Punctuation
Actually, the Comma Goes Here: A Practical Guide to Punctuation By Lucy Cripps (154 pages, nonfiction, 2020) Which is more intimate, the em dash or a comma? This little book succinctly articulates vague impressions and punctuation inclinations many of us may sense — or be oblivious to. Scrolls in ancient Greece had no punctuation whatsoever — not even spaces between letters. Marks were added to aid readers, indicating pauses or space...
Riverbend Reads series to present dinner and book discussion with Laurie Frankel
A New York Times bestselling, award-winning author will be hosting a Dinner and Book Discussion at Hotel Concord on May 30 as part of the Riverbend Reads series. Laurie Frankel is a former college professor who is now a professional writer and was recently named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in her home city of Seattle. Frankel will be discussing her book This Is How It Always Is, a novel of a modern family dealing with the...
Book of the Week: Interior Chinatown
Interior Chinatown By Charles Yu (270, fiction, 2020) This was the 2020 National Book Award winner for fiction, and with good reason. I’ll preface this review by saying that I think this book is brilliant –but that it’s also extremely stylized and may not be for everyone. Interior Chinatown is a work of metafiction, meaning that it is structured self-consciously, in a way that calls attention to its constructed-ness. In other words,...
Documentary on post-war life ‘The Welcome’ to be screened at Havenwood Heritage Heights
A documentary that exposes an intimate view of the post-war life reality for veterans and their families will be shown on May 27 in conjunction with a discussion from a retired Brigadier General who is on a mission to bring mental health into the spotlight. The screening and conversation will take place at Tad’s Place at Havenwood Heritage Heights, located at 149 East Side Drive, Concord. The Welcome brings the audience into a healing...
City newsletter: Hydrant flushing could mean low pressure
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Upcoming meetings City council: April 12, 7 p.m. Planning board: April 21, 7 p.m. These meetings are being held virtually via Zoom and are also live-streamed via the City of Concord’s YouTube channel. Agendas and access information...
Production of ‘This Is My Brave’ to be performed at Concord High School
A local production of the national effort This Is My Brave will take place at Concord High School on May 23. The show features area storytellers who will courageously share their experience with mental illness. “It’s real, raw, unique, inspiring, brave, and yes, some stories have an element of humor,” Lead Producer Ellen Desmond said. Desmond is the Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator at the N.H. Department of Education. Her...
This week in Concord history
April 8, 1864: Capt. Dana W. King of Nashua and 47 members of the 2nd New Hampshire Cavalry are captured during the disastrous battle of Sabine Cross Roads, La. They are taken to “wretched captivity in the famous ‘stockade,’ or poison pen, at Tyler, Texas,” their adjutant reports. April 8, 1977: Poll results are released showing 62 percent of New Hampshire residents favor construction of the Seabrook nuclear power plant, with...
Meet Kevin Briggs, Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge
A nationally recognized promoter of mental health awareness will share his unique story at the Concord City Auditorium on May 9. Sergeant Kevin Briggs knows firsthand that The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic landmark, an engineering feat, and tragically, a destination for those contemplating suicide. His efforts on patrol saved hundreds of lives and now, his powerful speaking events are impacting people across the country. Briggs is a...
Easter events and activities
Follow the bunny Follow the Bunny is a new Intown Concord event bringing families to explore downtown Concord and celebrate springtime and the warmer weather to come. Follow the Bunny is scheduled to be held on Saturday, April 3, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Intown Concord will be at the State House Lawn and will provide free games and crafts for families to enjoy until 12:30 p.m. Children will have the chance to decorate their own treat...
Riverbend Community Mental Health offers a wide range of services to the community
Addiction treatment, recovery servicesOur Choices program offers comprehensive outpatient addiction treatment and recovery services for adults and adolescents. We embrace a harm reduction model of care aimed at reducing the negative consequences associated with drug use. We provide treatment regardless of insurance coverage or ability to pay, and walk-ins are welcome. Start treatment today by calling 1-844-5-CHOOSE (844-524-6673)Adult...
Outdoor dining returns to Concord
The Concord City Council approved the renewal of temporary expanded outdoor dining in the City of Concord. This temporary program is an effort to address the impacts of the pandemic on local restaurants. The 2021 season will run from April 1 through Nov. 15. Intown Concord has put together a list of restaurants that will be participating in the 2021 outdoor dining season. Here’s who had been added to the list as of Monday: Buffalo...
Entertainment: Some comedy, some drama, some mystery
Music Tuesday Kid Pinky at 6:30 p.m. at Hermanos. Wednesday Tim Wildman at 6:30 p.m. at Hermanos. Thursday Dwayne Haggins at 5 p.m. at Cheers. Friday Lee Ross, a Boston-based musician will entertain on saxophone, keyboard, and flute at Penuche’s at 9 p.m. The McCartney Years: The Experience, a live musical tribute to The Beatles and Wings, will be at 8 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts. Tickets are $35. Classic Invasion Band at...
Poem: Old Summer
The cabin in the woods, my time as a child, life was simple then, thoughts so very mild. Family was together, sepia-toned memories still remain, the years may have faded, thoughts of the old cabin the same. Pelting rain on old glass windows, chilling wind off the lake, cooking over the open fire, s’mores we did make. Laughter of children, and adults too, my first-time fishing, looking at the stars with you. Sometimes thoughts...
Bulletin Board: Spring fair, energy plan input and arts awards
Spring Fling Fair this Saturday Join the fun at the Spring Fling Fair being held at East Congregational Church on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The fair will feature a silent auction, penny sale, crafts, plants, baked goods, gently used clothing, books, “Grandma’s Attic” and more! Tickets for an expertly made twin size quilt will be available. Be sure to stop by the East Church cafe for a light breakfast or luncheon. The “Cinco de...
Scene from 1952
One of the youngest citizens of Concord is shown receiving her vaccination from the Concord Health Officer in the year 1952. The Health Department vaccinated 385 Concord children in 1952 at multiple immunization clinics around the city.
Making Good Health Simple: Sleep – a commodity you can’t buy or trade
When I ask people how they are, they often reply, “Good, but tired.” When I try to wake my teenagers up for school, they beg me, “Mom, please. I need more sleep.” When I attempt to watch a 9 p.m. movie, I barely make it past the opening credits. It seems like everyone is in a constant sleep deficit. Sleep is a commodity that cannot be purchased or traded. It’s essential to our survival and wellbeing, yet it is the most overlooked part...
Book: A magical journey begins
The Magician’s NephewBy C.S. Lewis(202 pages, children’s fiction, 1955)Digory and Polly meet in London in the summer of 1900, in the garden of one of their houses. They discover that there is an attic passageway between their houses, row houses that are all connected. They start to explore the passage, but accidentally open a door into Digory’s Uncle’s study. Uncle Andrew is an eccentric man who calls himself a magician. Uncle Andrew...
The Yogi: Playgrounds, back-bends and what it all has to do with yoga
Our family spends a lot of time in playgrounds. When we travel or play our music shows, The Morris Family Band always leaves a little time to find a nearby playground. Concord is loaded with great playgrounds. You may even have one in your own backyard. The Monkey Around Playground at White Park celebrates its 25th birthday this year – 25 years of reaching, hanging, climbing, running and jumping. On any given day, you’ll notice the...
City Newsletter: Signs of spring appear
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Beaver Meadow The driving range at Beaver Meadow Golf Course is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Stay tuned for a full golf course opening announcement. For membership and other information, visit bmgc.golf. Street Sweeping The nice weather has...
City Manager’s Newsletter: Dog license reminder, road work and hiking
On Friday, Stefanie Breton, the city’s public information officer, sent out the weekly City Manager’s Newsletter. Here are some of the highlights: Last chance to register dog You should have registered your dog with the city clerk by today, April 30. You can do so online, by mail or in person. Cost is $10 for non-spayed/non-neutered dogs, $7.50 for spayed/neutered dogs, $7.50 for pupped under 8 months old, $20 for five or more dogs of...
This week in Concord history
April 1, 2003: Gov. Craig Benson launches his Adopt-a-School program, a campaign promise that essentially builds on longtime state and local efforts to connect schools with businesses. The governor’s project will link businesses with schools around the state in an effort to strengthen communities, supplement curriculum and show students that they might one day use what they learn in school. April 1, 2000: Concord’s Matt Bonner...
Meet Concord Reads author Benjamin Rachlin
Concord Reads, a citywide literary event encouraging community members to read and discuss the same book, will cap off its 2019 campaign with an event at Red River Theatres on Thursday.Benjamin Rachlin, author of Ghost of the Innocent Man: A True Story of Trial and Redemption, will discuss his writing process and answer questions from NHPR’s Peter Biello and the audience. The evening will conclude with a book signing in the Red...
Book: Whimsical hats
The Magic Hat ShopBy Sonja Wimmer(children picture book, 2016) A mysterious hat shop appears one day, providing hats perfectly suited to their wearers’ personalities, balancing extremes and bringing greater happiness into their wearers’ lives.But what will happen when the hats are taken off — or worse, blown away in the wind? This simple tale highlights the power of the individual in becoming who they wish to be. A fun, simple read,...
